CALGARY — Calgary’s new mayor says he hopes his election serves as an inspiration to children of all races and backgrounds.
Naheed Nenshi says he hopes that children will realize they can do anything in a country like Canada.
Nenshi, a 38-year-old business professor, is believed to be the first Muslim mayor of a major Canadian city.
Nenshi says he doesn’t shy away from discussion about his religion and can’t walk away from the colour of his skin.
But he says those things weren’t an issue during the municipal election campaign.
The new mayor says the first call he received after his win was from Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach who told him he had a weakness for “third-place underdogs” — the same position Stelmach found himself in before he won the Tory leadership.